Improved suefaces foe washfflg-maohines



@einen giedre @sind @frn IMPROVED SURFAGES I'OR WASHING-MAGHINES.

GEORGE M. DEN ISON OF NEW LONDON, `CONlilC'llCl.

Letters Patent No. 59,979, elated liotuentberA 27, 1866.

SP-ECIE'IOATION.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, GEORGE M. DENISQN, of NewLondon, in the county of New London, and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful improvement in Surfaces for Washing-Machines,Snc.; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear andexact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section of a washing-machine furnished with arubber constructed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, of suoh rubber.Figure 3 is a transverse section showing a modification of the same.Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention consists in the construction of the ribbed or corrugatedrubbing surfaces of wash-boards, washing-machines, and the like, ofsheet India rubber folded over and clamped between strips of wood orother hard material, in such mannerithat the ribs or eorrugations formedupon such rubbing surfaces are rendered sufficiently yielding andelastic to prevent any injury to the cloth or fabric while washing thesame, at the same time that the said washing surfaces are renderedcapable of being manufactured at a mch lesslfcost than if the aforesaidribs or corrugations' were formed entirely of India rubber.

My invention is represented in iig. 1 as employed in a washing-machine,of which the tub or body is shown at A, and has secured in it aninclined false bottom, a, which is constructed with transverse ribs a ofany suitable construction and conformation, and which constitutes thefixed or stationary rubber of the machine. A guide, b, is formedeuponthe inner surface of each side of the tub, A,`by means of two slats orcleats 11,', secured to the said inner `surface at a suitable distanceapart, and in a position nearly or quite parallel with that of theinclined rubber, a. B indicates a sliding frame, the outermostend piece,c, of which constitutes ahandle by which the said frame maybe moved toand fro, and the innermost end piece, d, of whichhas its extremitiesextending laterally beyond the side pieces of the aforesaid frame; thesaid extremitiesbeingmade of `cylindrical formgas shwn in `dottedoutline, and projecting into the guides b in such manner asftofurnishafulcrum upon which the said frame B may be turned up or down atpleasure, at the same time that a longitudinal vibrating movement ispermitted thereto by the sliding `of the extremities of the end piece din the'guides b.A i Attached tothe under side. 'of the frame B, at asuitable distance from the rearmost end thereof,`is the movable rubberC, which is constructed as follows: `any desired number of flat stripsor blocks, e,`,ofany suitable wood, and of any proper width andthickness, are placedl side by side with a sheet, f, of .India rubberfolded alternately over the" lower and upper edges'of the said strips,and also passingv between the same, as shown in iigs.`1 andV 2; a fiatplate or piece, e', eitherrof woodbr metal, is then placed'upon theoutermost ends ofthe'rubber sheets, f, to hold the same in place;`andbolts sho-wn in dotted lines atyg are passed transversely/through themass of wooden strips or blocks, e, andV through thepieces", insuchmanner as to securely hold the aforesaid strips, togetherwith the sheet,f, firmly clamped throughbetween them, as represented in the drawings.Instead of the boltsg, any other suitable means of confining the stripse in place may be employed. The lower vedges of these strips, e, underwhich the sheet f is passed or folded, as just set forth, project belowor beyond the lower edges of the remainder of the said strips, as shownat e`, and may be made of semicircular or rounded form. The sheet fshould not.

be drawn tightly upon these downwardly projecting edges, but should beloose, or loopedras it were, upon them, so that a certain degree offlexibility may be allowed to the portion thus folded or looped upon theaforesaid lower edges of the said strips, as will be presently further"set forth. The movable rubber C, asthus constructed,

is attached to a top plate, h, which is in turn attached in 'anysuitable manner to the frame B. The cloths or `fabrics to be washedareplaced uponthe false bottom or stationary rubber, a, and a vibratingmovement is com-` municated to the frame B, the movable rubber C beingat the same time pressed down upon thec'lothes or fabrics, whereupon theribs or corrugations formed by the downwardly projecting edges e of thealternate strips e, and the elastic rubber covering f folded or loopedover the said edges as hereinbefore explained, rub and press upon the'fabric in such manner as to effectually expel Vthe dirt and impuritiestherefrom, the covering orrubberportion `of the said ribs beingsufficiently yielding and elasticv to prevent theaforesaid ribs orcorrugations from tearing or abrading the fabrics, atthe same time that,supported by the edges of the strips e upon which it is folded, itpossesses suflicient stiifness to properlyfrub the fabric, as justVhereinbefore explained; By these means the action of theribs orcorrugations of the movable rubber C, or in other words the rubbing orwashing surface thereof, is rendered quite as eicient in rubbing thecloth or fabric as if made wholly of India rubber at the same time thatthe cost of manufacturing the same is greatly reduced as compared withthat which would be the case if the said ribs were formed entirely ofrubber. If desired, thel ribs or corrugations thus formed may bearranged obliquely or diagonally upon the rubber instead of transverselythereto. The rubber, C, as thus constructed, Amay not only be employedin washing-machines, as hereinbefore set fortl1, but may also be used asa wash-board or similar device, in which case it may be of any suitablesize and with both of its sides or surfaces alike, as sho-Wn ing. 2, theedges of the alternate strips e projecting from the opposite-sides ofthe rubbei` and having the sheet India rubber f folded over or upon themin the same manner as hereinbefore set forth regarding the lower orrubbing surface of the rubber C as used in a washing-machine. Instead ofbeing used in the form of a continuous sheet, as hereinbefore set forth,the sheet India rubber f may be formed in strips and folded upon andvover the projecting edges of thewooden strips or blocks e insubstantially the same manner as when a. continuous sheet is employed;the edges of the rubber strips beingclamped between the aforesaid woodenstrips in the same manner as the intermediate portion of the continuoussheet of rubber, as hereinbefore fully set forth. l Furthermore, insteadof making the strips f. of wood, any other suitable hard material may beemployed in plage thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The construction of a ribbed or corrugated washing surface of sheetIndia rubber folded over the edges of and clamped between strips f,substantially in the manner herein set forth. I

G. M. DENISON. Witnesses: Y

A. LE CLERc, G. W. REED.

